What I’ve learned this time round

The Imp slept horribly horribly from 0-6 months, then he slept mostly better, say mostly 2 wakings a night for a few months, and now … oh yeah, you already know. We’re in the midst of horror-ville at night. The Imp is a perfect gentleman during the day, a pleasure to be with. But at night, he becomes very needy.

But guess what, it’s a little easier this time round. Oh sure, it’s only been a week of horrible sleep, rather than 6 months this time, but I’d like to feel I have a tiny bit more perspective. What I’ve learned about bad sleep is this:

1. it’s nothing to do with what I’m doing or not doing or have done or will do. This is how the Imp sleeps. For the moment. No matter how much attention I pay to naps, food, breastfeeding, entertaining, wearing out, calming down, sprinkling lavendarin the bath, it WILL NOT change the night wakings. So there is not much use putting energy into these things, rather I will put my energy into making it through this challenging time with a little sanity intact. Chocolate croissant and coffee anyone?
2. I should never ever ever EVER be smug about sleep. See, I recall myself once saying “I’ve done my time” in regard to sleepless nights. I thought now that the Imp only woke up twice a night, it was onwards and upwards from here. I stupidly thought things would only progress forward. I never experienced the 4-5 month regression that many babies have, as we actually had nowhere to regress to. When sleep is so so bad, forward is the only way. But now we are somewhere in the middle, of course it could go forward or back. It WILL go forward and back. Sleep development and maturity is not perfectly linear.
3. it’s just a phase, just a phase, just a phase. It will pass. And soon.